Dead or Alive (1999)

After releasing the wonderful Blu Ray set of Takashi Miike’s
Black Society Trilogy, Arrow Video
follows it up with an equally exciting (for fans at least) set of Miike’s Dead or Alive trilogy. Unlike the
previous set, this one is not going to be as gloriously praised for its
artistic merit, but it might be a set that is just as entertaining and vibrant
as one would expect from the director. The first film, titled Dead or Alive like one would assume, is
a film that does somewhat fit in the same category as the Black Society Trilogywhen
it comes to its themes at least. It’s not nearly as robust in its dramatic heft
or razor sharp writing though and occasionally comes off as a bit muddy,
particularly when one looks at the odd way it starts and finishes. However,
with powerhouse actors in the two lead roles and Miike behind the camera, you
know you are in for something a bit off the wall and uniquely unbalanced and
for those prepared it’s another wild trip into the world of outcast cops and
gangsters that any Miike fan will want to add to their collection.

Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi) is doing his best to take his small
band of followers against the much more powerful yakuza in the Shinjuku
quarter. However, despite some valiant efforts on his part, his plan to
overtake the territory is being thwarted by a Japanese cop Jojima (Show Aikawa)
who is looking to get his own way. This sets both men on a course to collide in
perhaps one of the most Takashi Miike manners possible.

Confrontation.

As mentioned, Dead or
Alive features a lot of the tones and focuses that made his work on the Black Society Trilogy so effective. It
features a series of outcast characters, a plot involving Chinese and Japanese
friction in the underworld, and is generally much more serious in how it’s
playing with its more abrasive elements which seem to be nonchalantly scattered
into the film. Outside of the first five minutes and the last five minutes,
which will be looked at next, Dead or
Alive really drives home a lot of these themes. It features two leads who,
despite their own strange quirks and approaches as characters, are caught as a
gray area of trying to do good things in a world that’s increasingly against
them succeeding at removing themselves from the horrors of the criminal
underworld. Both characters are relatable to the audience as they focus on
building better lives for their families (Ryuichi for his smart and educated
younger brother and Jojima with his wife and sick daughter) who are willing to
sacrifice anything to achieve that goal to make things better for them. It
makes for two very effective characters that carry the film even when the twisting
narrative becomes muddled as it winds its way to a point where their intentions
will collide. This leads the film down all kinds of weird paths, in classic
Miike style, that features a few uncomfortable scenes, but the ultimate tone
and goal works for the film. Dead or
Alive is not quite up to par in the tight writing or heartbreaking resolves
that made the Black Society Trilogy
so good, but it stands on its own in admirable ways.

Honor among thieves.

There is the strange maneuver on Miike’s part to start and
end Dead or Alive in some off beat
ways. The first five minutes features a bombardment of visuals, laced with
shredding guitars, and a very kinetic tone that’s edited to give it a frantic
surrealism. It’s like an early 90s yakuza themed heavy metal music video as a
collage met with some of the strange humor and tones of a Miike film. It sets
up the film to be this kind of in your face experience and the rest of it does
not quite hit that kind of scope, despite moments of oddity. It’s a tonal set
up that doesn’t quite pay off. Then, of course, there is the last five minutes
of the film. As mentioned, the meat and potatoes of Dead or Alive features strange, but realistic characters and occurrences
that set up the ultimate showdown between the two leads. The showdown that
occurs, after being set up with some shockingly effective twists, gets
increasingly weirder as it goes. At first, it’s the usual Miike style of
ultra-violence that gets things going, but by the end of this duel it reaches a
kind of Looney Tunes inspired ludicrousness that is almost baffling. The final
moment of the film will certainly leave its audience, those unprepared at
least, scratching their heads.

"I've got my sights on you."

All in all, Dead or
Alive is a unique viewing experience that shows how Miike was getting more
daring with his films even when they were part of the usual cops n’ yakuza
style that kicked off his career. If only the writing was tightened and some of
the energy from the opening and closing evened out, this might have been on of
the better films of his career. As is though, it’s a strong contender in the
second tier of his filmography that features some iconic moments and some very
strong, scene-stealing performances. Miike fans will adore this Arrow Blu Ray
(which features a couple of solid features listed below) and for those
cinephiles who love the strange will want to check this out.

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Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018

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